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Beauty Ritual | Creating bright, healthy skin daily

Lately I've been thinking about how important it is for me to ramp up my daily facial routine. This stems from my observation of countless faces as I wander through crowded airports. I see people with dull, lifeless skin and there are others who's skin gives off the appearance of life and vitality. The difference between them is night and day.

I've made the unscientific conclusion that blood flow to the face is a major factor in the appearance of the facial skin. It just seems like healthy blood flow to the skin brings it to life! Unfortunately, as time passes, our circulation slows which takes away the look of glowing skin. Healthy, glowing skin is the end game so I've decided to incorporate a few daily actions to bring about that end result.

My goal is to allot a specific amount of time each day to promote healthy blood flow & stimulation to the face. I've got some tricks up my sleeve that will make a world of difference. Especially since I've been operating with much less sleep lately. These techniques will keep me looking well rested and fresh no matter what happened the night before.

Face Massage
Probably the most direct way to drive oxygen rich blood to the face. Not only does massage help tone the face but it can promote the building of new collagen while delivering healthy blood flow to the skin. My favorite is Tanaka Massage which also helps to stimulate the lymphatic system (which detoxifies). When I do this daily, my face seems to appear more toned and lifted. Best of all the entire process takes less than 20 minutes. If I don't have 20 minutes to spare, I can always reach for my massage tools to help speed things up.

Steaming/Ice Facial
Hot and cold temperatures have an amazing ability to stimulate the blood. Back when I took cold showers, my face always seemed to look fresh and healthy. Our bodies rush blood to the area in an effort to combat the cold. Let's not forget the fact that ageless rapper Pharrell owes his youthful appearance with his daily habit of using cold water on his face. Heck, even Sanaa Lathan knows the power of using hot and cold therapy to promote youth. I may dabble with using an ice cube after washing my face to close up pores, creating that flawless finish. Another option could be to place my Evian facial water in the fridge before misting.

Yoga Inversions
Then, of course, you can always "force" blood flow to the face by practicing inversions. Yoga is a perfect way to promote positions where the head receives the most blood flow. As you may already know, inversions impact both the face and the hair. Some say they've experienced as much as an inch of new growth in 7 days. Earlier this year, headstands were a part of my daily routine. I really need to start doing that again.

Water
Sometimes, when I'm sitting in a dull meeting, about to fall asleep, I reach for my water bottle and take the biggest swig. Suddenly, I can feel the water rushing through my body and I'm no longer tired. When ever you think of increasing circulation, the first thing that should go through your mind is drinking lots of water. Without adequate water in the blood stream, nothing can properly circulate. Whenever I go a long time without drinking adequate water, I like to imagine that my oxygen rich blood is slowing becoming thick and sluggish. That tends to motivate me to get things flowing again as quickly as possible. Without enough water in your system, all those other things I mentioned in the post become null and void. So, for the 15 trillionth time, drink more water.